Tennessee Deputy Attorney General Janet Kleinfelter argued in court last week that reports that a government-hired consultant filed regarding COVID-19 should remain exempt from the public.
This, according to a new column that The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government (TCOG) recently published. The TCOG, according to its website, promotes open government and citizen access to public information.
State officials hired McKinsey and Company as a consultant to outline potential scenarios for reopening government and workforce management after COVID-19.
Janet Kleinfelter, deputy attorney general for Tennessee, cited what she called a “deliberative process privilege.” She said the privilege exists to prevent “Monday-morning quarterbacking” of state decisions.
“Kleinfelter argued that if state officials knew that the analyses and options presented in the McKinsey report were to be made public — even a year and a half later — state officials would be ‘chilled’ or discouraged from having frank discussions amongst themselves about decisions they must make. Kleinfelter told the judge that state officials likely would not have hired McKinsey or sought expert advice if they thought the consultant’s reports would be released,” according to the TCOG.
“In explaining how it would “chill” government officials from making decisions in the future, Kleinfelter in her brief said that allowing the public to see the withheld McKinsey documents would allow “the public to probe the editorial and policy judgment and/or reconstruct the predecisionsal judgments of the UCG (Unified Command Group) and the Governor in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and would expose those governmental officials to public criticism.”
The Tennessee Star reached out to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office for comment.
Samantha Fisher, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, declined comment.
“We don’t have anything to add to what was stated in the brief,” Fisher said.
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star and The Georgia Star News. Follow Chris on Facebook, Twitter, Parler, and GETTR. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tennessee Attorney General’s Office” by Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.
Totally agree with Herman Murdock’s assessment, Deputy Attorney General Janet Kleinfelter needs to be replaced by an American.
Absolutely, Mary- 100% !
Sounds like “operation lockstep“ Rockefeller medicine 101. Borrower is slave to the Lender.
The D.A.’s argument says a lot about the D.A. She should be replaced with someone who realizes what it means to serve the public , PROTECT the constitution and abide by it’s provisions. More and more, public officials are blatantly trying to RULE as though they are above the law. This needs to stop if we are to hold on to what remains of a free nation.
Right A.Thomas!
They are OUR EMPLOYEES working UNDER our delegated powers! The First Article, Section I of the Tennessee Constitution Declaration of Rights states that , “ALL POWER is inherent in the People”.
Well , Kleinfelter told the truth- but here’s the deal- the public is SUPPOSED to be “probing and / or reconstructing ” judgement of the government. That’s how it works in the United States Ms. Kleinfelter.
The very reason the AG gave for withholding the Covid information is the reason it should be made public.
The dark secrets that govt hides is the very reason it is not trusted. We deserve to know everything our officials know when it comes something that is as damaging to us as govt actionns gainst Covid.
Because it’s all a scam?
Isn’t McKinsey and Company the same consulting firm that helped give us the opioid crisis? Why would any governmental entity do business with them ever again?
But to me this is pre-reelection “a** covering” by our Governor and his staff! You can’t let the truth come out before November 2022! People might realize that in the swamp, red “alligators” are just as deadly as blue “alligators!
Covid has been the single biggest malfeasance in US history, and Tennessee’s governmental leaders; Bill Lee, Cameron Sexton and Randy McNally, are all guilty!
Kevin – You hit the nail square on the head. I would also add the rest of the state assembly members who cowered in their basements while Lee and county mayors rode roughshod over the citizens. But it all started with Lee’s outrageous overreach.
Kevin, no…you didn’t hit the nail on the head. In fact you missed it, as you typically do. This malfeasance starts and ends with Fauci. Everybody else simply used it as an excuse for a power grab to advance their own agendas.
We demand transparency from ALL our elected officials and those they hire to work for our state.